As an American, 2020s and it’s not even close. The rise of Christian nationalism empowered by the Republican party has led to the loss of bodily autonomy and LGBTQ+ rights in red states. We have alienated our international allies. ICE has become Trump’s gestapo, literally ripping families apart and terrorizing cities. Blatant gerrymandering. Inflation is out of control. And we have a literal pedophile in office. I was born in the 80s and I can confidently say it has never been this bad in my lifetime. I am not even sure that we will have a fair election to begin to undo this damage.

Vibrate.

Not saying I disagree, but as someone who was once religious I’d say that in their minds it is exactly the point to serve the desperate and broken hearted. “It is the sick who need a doctor, not the well.” They genuinely believe they are helping by doing this, not trying to be deceptive.

No question on what they think about the Epstein files?

And if you have high density housing around it. There are rails that go barely used thanks to sprawl

Reports now coming in that it was their son, Nick. Tragic

It’s not that they drool over war per se, but that they drool over any chance to make a profit. War just happens to be a great way to do that.

Free healthcare profits no one, at least monetarily, so it will never be a priority

The “sides” that the countries take is of secondary importance. Capital will benefit from any conflict, no matter what the stated sides are, and suffer minimally. That’s the true enemy

I recently went to one for the first time with my adolescent son. It was a blast!

We basically went in with the mentality of being curious and flexible. For example, we had the con schedule ahead of time and had highlighted some things we definitely wanted to do, but we left the door open for opportunities that might be more interesting.

The con had some things that were always accessible like an arcade with Japanese games, a board game library, etc. It also had things you had to sign up in advance for like if you wanted to do a DnD one shot. Some things you just had to show up on time for like hearing voice actor panels and some things you have to be on time AND pay extra for like autographs and photos with featured guests. I would say my biggest advice is to make a budget with some wiggle room and then stick to it. It’s very easy to overspend because there is a lot of cool merch.

Think ahead about food options. There was a vendor on site with limited options and some food trucks outside. But many attendees didn’t realize that showing your wrist and to restaurants in walking distance would get you discounts or free items. It pays to look at the convention program to see what deals are available. Bring a water bottle because they may not allow outside food or drinks, but most places will let you fill up at the water fountains.

Also think ahead about parking if your con isn’t near public transit. We had to pay something like $25 to park in a lot that was a block away because the on site parking was completely taken by the time we got there (an hour before the doors opened).

This year we just did a one day pass though the con itself is 3 days long. We did this because we had no idea what to expect and didn’t want to overcommit. We might do more next year but we will definitely do it again. If you do decide to do multiple days consider the extra costs for food, parking, merch, etc and plan accordingly.

Aside from that, I really wish we had cosplayed. We didn’t because my son was embarrassed to, but he regretted that when we got there and saw people of every age and gender in costumes of every level of quality. A cheap homemade costume will fit in as much as a pro cosplayer, especially if you put a spin on it like gender bending or a character in a different time period. Sometimes the intentionally terrible costumes were more popular than the super detailed ones!

Saga is wonderful. Beautiful characters and relationships, epic worldbuilding, great writing. And Lying Cat.

Surprised no one is mentioning Watchmen yet but this one is the granddaddy of the deconstruction movement in comics and one of the first to truly explore graphic novels as a medium. Things like panel placement take on extra meaning and depth. Not to mention that there are mysteries that the book does not bother to hold your hand to explain. It really treats the reader as an adult.

The entire Absolute line is gold.

Haven’t read the others yet

Imagine a government holding corrupt officials accountable

Here’s the thing: This is total bullshit.

Chartering organizations like churches have the option to create a boys troop, a girl’s troop, or two separate. Completely at their discretion. If they want a boys only space they can have one. This is just macho posturing that is going to have a major effect on turning a lot of youth even more against this administration

8 years, so literally the last time the big orange was in charge. We learn nothing

He will never be forgiven

Weird. Where are all the good guys with guns?

I used to be into it more in high school and college. My hometown teams were winning and it was a great bonding experience with other guys and my dad.

After I had kids and was working full time, I didn’t have time. Not to mention I was an early cord cutter, so I couldn’t follow games like I used to when I had cable. Another factor was that the research on CTE made watching American football feel gross.

I came to realize, I didn’t really miss it all that much. I will watch an occasional game here or there if it’s special, but otherwise meh. There’s plenty of other things I either have to do or would prefer doing instead. Maintaining a home and kids’ activities take a lot of time. When I do have free time I’d rather play a game or watch a good show. I will keep up with the headlines just so I can have a conversation with my dad or father in law about whatever is happening, but it’s pretty minimal at this point.

This approach worked great for Biden, let’s see how well it works for the Orange

Secret Invasion is more of a whiff in my opinion because What If…takes place outside the main continuity anyway. The Secret Invasion trailers also looked really good, promising a slow burn spy thriller. It had so much going for it. Alas…

Definitely not good. Lots of tax breaks for the wealthy and “parental rights” as a smokescreen to hurt trans kids all passing. Goddammit.

Goddammit Texas